7–11 Dec 2026
The University of Sydney
Australia/Sydney timezone
AIP Congress 2026

Spin entanglement of two thermal atoms in an optical tweezer and its use for magnetic field sensing

Not scheduled
20m
Belinda Hutchinson Building (The University of Sydney )

Belinda Hutchinson Building

The University of Sydney

Abercrombie St & Codrington St NSW 2008
Contributed Oral AIP | Quantum Science and Technology (QST)

Description

Quantum entanglement can enable revolutionary technologies for faster computing and precise sensing. However, it is fragile and easily lost if the quantum system interacts with a thermal environment.
This talk will discuss how thermalization with hot degrees of freedom can drive a quantum system from an unentangled state into a long lived entangled one. In particular we study the spin dynamics of two thermal atoms in an optical tweezer. The atoms’ spin interact with their thermal motion through a process known as spin-changing collisions, which leads to thermalization dynamics of the atoms spin. Contrary to the common case, we find that it can cause an initially unentangled spin state to evolve into a robust entangled state. This happens in a regime when typical thermal energies are much larger than the energies of the spin states.
An analysis of the Quantum Fisher Information shows that the entanglement can enhance magnetic field sensing beyond the standard quantum limit. We present an experimental proof-of-principle demonstration of this. Furthermore, we will discuss under which conditions the spin entanglement is conserved and what mechanisms can destroy it. Theoretical considerations show that it is possible to separate the atoms into independent tweezers without loosing the spin entanglement between the atoms. In this way it is possible to generate spatially distributed entanglement, that is suited for entanglement enhanced magnetic field sensing and potentially other quantum technologies.

I am the presenting author Yes

Author

Mikkel F. Andersen (University of Otago)

Co-author

AmirAbbas Saberi (University of Otago)

Presentation materials

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